Carer’s Journal – August 2025 – Part 1

It’s time to bring things up to date in my journal posts about being a carer. Having rambled on at length about my mother’s struggles since the start of the year, including a collarbone fracture in July, there’s been another big development this month, with Mum sustaining another serious injury, resulting in almost a week spent in hospital.

There are thankfully positive signs emerging in the latter half of this month, which I’ll begin to talk about in my next update. But August so far has been our most stressful period yet this year, which isn’t ideal when we’re both meant to be celebrating our birthdays this month! So here’s what’s been going on lately.

Contents

• August 1 – Panic attacks & frailty team.
• August 3 – Another fall.
• August 10 – Frailty team and walk.
• August 12 – Mum’s broken wrist.
• August 13 – Mum in hospital (Day 2).
• August 15 – Mum in hospital (Days 3 & 4).
• August 16 – Mum in hospital (Day 5) & meeting a friend.
• August 17 – Waiting for Mum.

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Friday, August 1

Panic attacks & frailty team.

This has been another very mixed week, during which Mum had a few panicky episodes, the worst being on Wednesday when she was trying to bring in washing from the line in the garden, but got herself lost. She had done the right thing though, by keeping hold of the line and following it along, but had gone the wrong way to the bottom of the garden. Nevertheless, she realised what she had done and followed it all the way back to the house. But she was shaking with panic when she came into the lounge, as obviously being in the study I hadn’t known all of that was going on, and hadn’t heard her calling for help. She then remained in a panicky state for the rest of the day, bless her.

She’d had a panicky episode the previous day as well, as she’d set the telecare alarm off without realising it and was surprised by a voice speaking to her from the loudspeaker. Then later in the day she got panicky because her vision was completely black.

All of which affected her mind, as during the afternoon she then asked me what her name was, which she’d never done before. Once I’d prompted her on the answer to that, she was then able to remember my name, her sister’s name and our address. And she did also ask questions like whether I work, whether she works, what money she gets, etc. And then the next afternoon, on the day of the washing line incident, she asked what country we live in. So these panic attacks really do mess with her head, plus the washing line episode made her collarbone injury hurt a lot more too. And from reading online I’ve now learned that panic attack hangovers are a thing, so she was definitely having that. I think the panics she had on both Tuesday and Wednesday just really added up in her system. 

On Thursday though, she was much better, and I had the day off work too. So in the morning I filed Mum’s nails and shaved a few hairs off her face, before a couple of people from the frailty team turned up and did a bit more long cane training with her, which she wasn’t quite so panicky about this time. She still doesn’t really enjoy doing it, but she is actually making baby steps of progress with it. And they were also really pleased with how Mum got back indoors from the washing line, after she told them about the incident, basically repeating the same sort of things I had said to her.

They discussed other things with her too, including her sleep and the importance of trying to stick to a routine, which we already do. They also suggested that they could try doing other things with her that she wants to get back into. So she mentioned cooking, and they said they’d be happy to help her cook something next time. They also asked about the carer’s assessment, which I said we’re still waiting for, and they said they could arrange virtual ward care for Mum in the meantime until the assessment is done, so that could be useful.

I was also given details of a couple of resources that they had looked up for us. One was the RNIB Helpline, which I already knew about. And the other was an American organisation called Foundation Fighting Blindness, who have links to all sorts of resources. So after they left I had a quick look at one of the mental health articles, reading a bit of it to Mum, and that somehow triggered a conversation about things that Mum might like to have or do – e.g. an accessible garden, a keyboard for her to play on as she used to play piano in her youth, an iPhone so she can get on to the internet with Voiceover (though she’d need training from scratch having never used a phone or the internet before), and some Meta AI glasses that can describe her environment (which require a smartphone to use). So maybe we can look into some of that stuff too. Those glasses do sound really cool, I know a blind friend who loves them.

Mum then made our sandwiches for lunch – the first time she’s done that for a while – and they were nice. We even did our Sainsbury’s shop online while we were eating them to get it out of the way. I then popped over to M&S in the afternoon to get us some treats, including a Victoria Sponge and ice cream which we had over two nights – and that’s the first proper dessert we’ve had for some time, as Mum couldn’t properly eat with a spoon for a while. She’s cutting up her own dinners now too, which is good, and we were able to have ours a bit earlier that evening because I wasn’t working.

The other notable thing from Thursday is that I got the August newsletter from the local carers community. And apart from there being a useful looking workshop in August, I also spotted a link among their resources for a Carers Emergency Card. The carer basically carries a card with them that has a registration number and a phone number on it. The carer or emergency services or a member of the public can then ring the number and give the registration ID if the carer is in an emergency situation and can’t get home (e.g. being hospitalised, stranded due to a cancelled flight, etc). The call centre will then try to get in touch with the emergency contact on the plan, and if they can’t get through to them then they’ll use an agency to provide short-term care. So it basically means that Mum would still be cared for if anything happened to me while I was out, which is great. So I filled in the form and emailed it off that evening.

Mum then panicked a bit more on Friday, as she woke up at one point in her armchair, wasn’t sure what time it was and went upstairs to try and find me, but couldn’t because I was in my study downstairs. So that rattled her, and she had a few more smaller panics when waking up in her chair later in the day.

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Sunday, August 3

Another fall.

Mum’s fallen over yet again. It happened on Saturday morning in the lounge. It had just gone 6am, and from what I can gather she had slid down on to the floor from a standing position by the dining table. So she doesn’t seem to have done herself a major injury or made her collarbone fracture worse, thankfully. She just had trouble getting up. She pulled her armchair away from the wall as she tried to get up, then she pushed the TV off its stand (which was thankfully caught by the chair and held up by the wires), then she tipped the serving trolley over.

I was blissfully unaware of all this, as I was fast asleep in my bedroom. But I got a call from a lady at the telecare centre on my mobile at 6:10am, because Mum had pressed her pendant alarm, and they told her they would try and get hold of me, and if they couldn’t then they would call emergency services. It’s the first time we’ve used the telecare for its intended purpose, and it’s made it worth the money.

So I went downstairs to find Mum laid on the floor next to the kitchen, which made me worry that she’d had quite a big fall. But gradually I pieced the story together as we talked about it. She didn’t need my physical help much anyway, she just needed some help to find the stairs. She was able to roll over on to her front and crawl along the wall to the hallway, and then sit on the stairs, at which point I was able to help her stand.

I then took her to her chair, and she asked for a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits. Then about an hour later she had another cup of tea and a scone. Then during the hour before I had to start my weekend shift at work she was able to move around, put clothes on the airer, go upstairs to the toilet and come back down again. So that reassured her. She then just relaxed in her armchair, going to sleep for a little while, and just rested for the remainder of the day.

It wasn’t the ideal time for me to be working in the circumstances, and I couldn’t focus on it very much, as I was still a bit tired and on edge, but I did what I could. And Mum did eat a bit of lunch and some of her tea later on, which was good. The only real problem she had was bending to sit on the toilet, because of a sore, bruised area on her left leg. She was a bit better on Sunday though – still having a few aches and pains, but able to use the toilet normally again, even if it still hurts a little bit to bend her leg.

However, she did have a few occasions on Sunday where she thought I was a woman again. The first was at lunchtime, as she tried calling out for me a couple of times even though I was there. But she told me later that she wanted me to be proud that she’d fought against the idea of the woman existing in her mind. She was anxious in case the woman appeared at tea time, when we had the lovely roast chicken thighs I’d bought from M&S, but she didn’t appear then.

However, she then thought I was the woman talking to her later that evening when she called out for me, and struggled to believe me when I tried to make clear I was normal Glen, saying I didn’t sound like him and telling me to go away at one point, even if I played the messages I had set up on the Alexa machine to remind her. Indeed, when I took her up to bed later, she knew it was me at that point, but didn’t believe me when I said there had been no woman, saying that the woman had been making Alexa play the messages. It’s so frustrating, because I really thought those messages had been helping. So it still scares me, as I don’t want Mum to get so convinced that I’m lying that we fall out about it.

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Sunday, August 10

Frailty team & walk.

Things have been continuing in much the same vein this week for the most part, with Mum having moments of anxiety or thinking I’m a woman, things like that. But there are little signs that she’s getting better. She says that she can feel things physically getting better very gradually, and she also made our sandwiches for lunch 3 days in a row, and did our rolls for lunch on Friday.

The two people from the frailty team were here on Thursday too, so she made the sandwiches with them observing her. They also did a little bit more work with the long cane. And they’ve said they can look into arranging a carer to help with little things like cooking if we want, as we’re still waiting for our carer’s assessment. Though if Mum feels she doesn’t need anyone, that might not happen. For me I could do with someone to keep an eye on Mum while I’m out, so she doesn’t feel too lonely and doesn’t do anything unsafe, and I can go out without worrying too much about her.

I also finally posted on my blog this week about what’s been going on, which took up a trilogy of posts about Mum’s physical and mental health along with my own wellbeing, plus I posted about it on Facebook. That resulted in several friends getting in touch or leaving comments because they were moved by what they’d read and wanted me to know I had their support, which was really kind of them. One in particular, who I met through a local social group some years ago and thus lives nearby, has offered to come over and chat to Mum, so she can talk to a fellow blind person who has some understanding of what she’s going through.

I think Mum will prefer my friend to the Sightline volunteer, as she hasn’t been looking forward to those calls lately, so we’ll have to get those stopped or find a different volunteer. We both agree that the volunteer is perfectly nice, and very kind to call up each week, but she’s not really bubbly enough to really stimulate the conversation in the way that Mum would like, and so Mum feels like she’s having to do all the work to keep things moving along. So meeting my friend next week should be better, plus she’s got the RNIB counsellor calling the next day, so it’ll be interesting to see how that goes. I expect it’ll be quite awkward at first.

As for other little bits and pieces, Mum and I talked again about getting her a keyboard, so I might get her one for her birthday. And when she was getting a bit anxious on Friday night in the lounge, I gave her my big cuddly toy lion to keep her company, as he’s still in pretty good condition, and she went to sleep with him on her lap. Then when I took her to bed, she asked to have him upstairs on the chair by her bed, which I thought was really sweet. And that continued over the weekend, with him helping to keep her company during the day and then being in her bedroom at night, as well as her holding the little teddy I’d already given her previously.

As for me, I’ve found that I’ve been quite well focused on work and kept up with everything this week. There were still times when Mum was getting anxious when it was particularly inconvenient, especially when I was trying to take notes from something important I was listening to. But I got through the week ok.

Then at the weekend i was able to have a couple of hour-long walks before I did some shopping in M&S. I was only going to shop in there on Saturday, but we forgot a couple of essentials, so I went in there again on Sunday. In any case, I had floated the idea of having a walk before going to M&S, to see how Mum got on if I was out a bit longer, and she was up for trying that, and suggested it herself on Saturday morning.

So we had pies for dinner, and I sorted a few little things out in the early afternoon, before I then went out in the lovely warm sunshine for a little while, having a nice walk before going to M&S and then returning home. And Mum didn’t ring me the whole time. She hadn’t been asleep during the afternoon, and while she did get jittery around 5pm, she was able to use Alexa’s “Where is Glen?” command I’d set up to get some reassurance as to where I was.

On Sunday she did then have a panic attack in the morning, because she wanted to have a shower, but had accidentally moved the chair in front of the cubicle entrance and got completely lost. So she got up about 8:30am and I had to comfort her for a bit. Then I went back to bed, expecting to get another hour or two if I was lucky, but slept more than I thought and got up at 11am. So after I’d had a shower and done my teeth, Mum was over the moon to see me when I got downstairs and hugged me tightly. Then we had the Southern Fried Chicken Tenders that I’d bought on Saturday for lunch, which were smaller than the bigger bits we usually have, but still very nice. It was easier without the bones and it was plenty for Mum as well as me.

But anyway, she then did go to sleep during the afternoon, so I went out for another walk before heading to M&S. She was then still asleep when I got home, so much so that I was able to change my clothes, unpack the shopping, cook and eat my microwave ready meal (Beef Hotpot from Sainsbury’s), wash up my plate and cutlery, and return to my study, all without waking her up in the course of an hour. So she had about 3 hours sleep, which is great considering she’d had very little on Saturday, even trying to come and sit downstairs during Saturday night before I persuaded her to go back upstairs again.

So if I can I’m going to try going out for walks at weekends again. I’d like to anyway. I want her to get used to me being out of the house again partly for my own leisure, but also because a friend has arranged something for the weekend of my birthday (and I’m pretty sure I know what it is, so I’m really looking forward to it). But we’ll see how it goes, as Mum is so unpredictable at the moment.

And beyond that, my main bit of entertainment at home has been the rest of Series 5 of Doctor Who from 2010. I’ve really enjoyed going through all of that, and revisiting the Doctor Who Prom and footage of the Adventure Games from that year, so now I’m sorting out other bonus bits and pieces for my review post and playlist as usual.

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Tuesday, August 12

Mum’s broken wrist.

Well, I know birthdays can be full of surprises, but Mum could have done without the bumps she’s had in her birthday week.

Yesterday was the beginning of our latest heatwave this year, so unsurprisingly she found things more difficult as the day progressed, even having a little pop at me in the evening before apologising. But on the plus side, there were a couple of good phonecalls during the day. The first was from a lovely man at the psychiatry service, who apologised that it took them so long to get back to us, and asked me all sorts of questions about Mum’s situation, before saying they would arrange an appointment. So I’m hoping that won’t take too long. And then my aunt rang in the evening, with an offer to take Mum out for fish and chips on Friday to celebrate her birthday, which she accepted and I was pleased about.

So that was all good – until Mum woke me up at 5am this morning by calling me using Alexa, and I found her laid out on the floor in the lounge. For the first time ever, as far as we can remember, she had forgotten to put on her telecare pendant alarm. So she had started going upstairs to get it, but fell backwards from a few steps up. She then managed to roll on to her front and get a little way into the living room, pulling on the dining table to try and get herself up (and I found it had been pulled away from the wall a bit). Then, after a few attempts at saying the right command, she called my Alexa machine.

I didn’t want to try getting her up given her recent collarbone fracture, and her right wrist didn’t feel right to me, so I called 999. While we waited for an ambulance, a clinician called me and asked various questions about her, and even sent me a link for a live video stream so she could see how Mum was laid on the floor. And because she was on her front, they escalated the urgency, because it’s not the best position for breathing.

So the paramedics came pretty quickly, within 15-20 minutes I’d say, and I went with her in the ambulance to the hospital – where we spent the next 16 hours in A&E together! A lot of that time was spent just waiting around, with Mum being put in a hospital bed rather than on a trolley. And because she couldn’t easily get out of bed to use the toilet, they put a pad on her that she could use. She didn’t want to use it at first, understandably, but after a while she did get used to it.

So during the day she had X-rays and CT scans done of her wrist, as well as CT scans of her head and body to check her over in general, plus a couple of examinations of her body by a nurse. She was also given blood tests, and the usual pulse, blood pressure and temperature readings at regular intervals.

And ultimately she has broken her wrist, which has a lot of bruising around it, so they’ve put it in a plaster cast. She can still wiggle her fingers and do gestures with them, but she won’t be able to do much with her lower arm for the next 6 weeks or so.

A couple of ladies from the physiotherapy team also came along to talk to us, asking about her care needs at home, with suggestions that they’ll be able to help while she’s under the hospital’s care, so I’m hoping that means we’ll get some help, even if it’s for things like washing in the morning. And they can look at aspects like where she sleeps, as we’re wondering if she needs to be sleeping downstairs again after all.

I rang my aunt to let her know what was happening of course, and as she had an eye appointment in the hospital that afternoon anyway, she said she’d try and find us, as it is a complete maze in there. And she did find me waiting while Mum was having her big CT scan. So we had a chat, and as she found out I hadn’t eaten yet, she popped off to get me something. Mum had been given toast for breakfast with a cup of tea, then for lunch she had a cheese omelette with vegetables, plus a creamy yoghurt and a carton of apple juice. But I hadn’t been offered anything. So my aunt got a meal deal with a pack of 2 Chicken Caesar sandwiches, a 4-finger KitKat and a bottle of Fanta (Fruit Twist flavour), so that refreshed me and kept me going nicely.

My aunt then spent some time chatting with Mum and I once we were back in the A&E department, before making her way home. And in the hours that followed, it became clear that they were going to keep Mum in overnight – partly because they didn’t have the results back from her CT scans, but also because they detected a possible infection in her blood tests that they wanted to give her antibiotics for. In recent days she’s had a swelling on her arm around a sore spot, which has burst open a couple of times, so it’s probably come from that. I’m guessing it’s an insect bite of some sort, but the fact that she’s been resting that arm on the armchair when sleeping sometimes hasn’t helped it.

So I ended up making my own way home shortly before 10pm, with Mum’s blessing of course. Once I’d got out of the entrance to the A&E department, I was able to find the main road easily enough, so decided to walk home, which only takes about half an hour. I stopped off in Domino’s on the way and got myself a Mighty Meaty pizza with some of their garlic bread too, so I had that instead of fiddling about with cooking anything.

Then I just relaxed for the night. It was very strange not having Mum in the house, but nice and peaceful too really. I was rather glad she was being looked at and cared after properly. And if this is finally the catalyst for getting her some proper help and support, and for me to get some of my life back, or at least a big step for both of us in that direction, then her suffering won’t entirely have been in vain.

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Wednesday, August 13

Mum in hospital (Day 2).

This has been another strange day without Mum around, and it looks like this is going to carry on a little bit longer.

I had a slight lie-in this morning before I got up about half an hour later than usual, and after showering I had hot cross buns and a scone for breakfast. Then I rang the hospital, which took a few attempts until someone answered at the A&E department. They told me the name of the ward that Mum had been taken to at 7am this morning – meaning she’d been in A&E for around 25 hours altogether! So I was able to find out when visiting hours are. And a man from the pharmacy also rang during the morning to check details of medication she’s been taking.

So I made the most of the morning by doing some laundry in the washing machine and putting it out on the line (including the clothes I wore yesterday to the hospital), catching up with a bit of work I needed to do, and cooking the big chicken we’d bought, so I had a lovely big leg of chicken for dinner with roast potatoes, vegetables and a Yorkshire pudding, plus M&S beef gravy.

After washing up the dinner things I then went to the hospital, which is an easy walk to get to using Google Maps for help. And thanks to the AccessAble website I was able to find clear directions to her ward, where Mum was in a room right down the end with 3 other patients.

She was very drowsy and agitated, and the nurses explained that she had been quite confused too, trying to get up and move around, and thinking she was in the lounge. So I helped them get her into a different, lower bed that will be a bit safer for her, and they’ve put a crash mat down next to it in case she does fall, as well as putting a bright label around her wrist to say that she’s of risk of falls. She also kept telling me that the doctors didn’t know what they were doing and I shouldn’t listen to them, but I don’t blame her for not trusting them as the situation is so frightening for her.

But despite all of that she did seem to recognise who I was and understood what I was saying to her, she was pleased I was there, and she was glad I had been looking after myself alright. And she was a bit more coherent before I left, though still drowsy and a bit confused. We also agreed that I would bring her teddy bear for her, though she’s convinced they’ll just take him from her and won’t let her keep him, even though they told me she could have him.

A lady doctor also spoke to me and updated me on the situation:

• Her wrist is broken in a couple of places, but it doesn’t need surgery, just plenty of rest for 6-8 weeks. The fracture clinic will decide in about 6 weeks time if they can take the cast off.
• They still think she might have an infection, because of the inflammatory markers in her blood tests, but equally that could be in response to her injury as well. Either way they’re keeping an eye on it and giving her antibiotics.
• She’d had porridge and a cup of tea for breakfast, which she told me was alright, though clearly it’s going to be nothing special compared to home food. But at least she had something. I don’t know if she’d had any lunch.
• Her head and body CT scans came back fine, there’s no bleeding on the brain and no issues with her other organs – which we thought was the case anyway, but it’s great to know anyway for reassurance.
• They clarified with me that she does need support with care at home, so they’re going to look at arranging that, which should accelerate the care assessment I’d already asked for.
• After she gets home they’re happy for her to try melatonin to see if it helps her sleep better at night.

The other nurses I spoke to were lovely as well, and I answered various questions about Mum’s fall and medical history, and they added my details as her next of kin as well. I was complimentary to them as I left too, so one of them gave me a feedback card to write my thoughts down, because they were all friendly and they are doing a great job. I always have great admiration for the work of NHS staff, it’s impossible to comprehend how tough their job is.

So I spent a couple of hours with Mum altogether, and left as they were about to serve up her tea. I came home and had hot cross buns and a scone for my tea, just as I’d done for breakfast, along with a slice of her birthday cake, as clearly she can’t have it now.

It’s lovely that my friends are rallying round me as well, as many of them have all sent their best wishes directly and reacted to my Facebook post, and I had a nice chat with my best mate Simon this evening. So I’m comfortable in my own company and I don’t feel alone with my aunt and my friends around.

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Friday, August 15

Mum in hospital (Days 3 & 4).

Things are continuing to move in a positive direction. Not much happened on Friday though, hence putting 2 days together.

Yesterday (Thursday) and today I worked during the mornings and into the early afternoons, and managed to get a fair amount done. I even worked while eating my lunch on both days just to use the time as productively as I could. I also sorted out our usual Sainsbury’s delivery on Friday morning, in which I’ve got myself things like Charlie Bigham’s ready meals and cider to treat myself, as I think I’ve earned it!

During the morning and early afternoon on Thursday I also had a couple of phonecalls from a lady in the frailty team. She told me that she and a colleague had been in to see Mum, and had been able to walk her to the toilet, and they were happy that she was functional. She’s also making a referral for Mum to have carers come in 3 times a day when she returns home – morning, lunchtime and evening, to help with meals, washing, dressing, etc as required. She’s also made a referral to our local disability service to see if any more support or adaptations are needed, and has advised me to make a self-referral as well, so I’ve emailed them to ask about that.

On top of that, a letter was also delivered to Mum’s medical record online on Thursday, and in the physical post on Friday, booking her a home visit appointment with someone from the mental health team for later in the month, so that’s great news too – assuming she’s home by then, that is. And the window cleaner came round yesterday, so I brought him to date, while hearing about his own problems as well! Plus I contacted Sightline and cancelled the befriending calls, as it hadn’t really helped Mum as much as we’d hoped, and with everything else going on she doesn’t really need that extra service right now. If Mum’s mental health settles down then we can always go back to that service again if she wants to, because it is good. It’s just not the right time for it at the moment.

Friday was much quieter in terms of phonecalls, with just one from the reablement team to try and book a functional assessment for Mum, but they didn’t realise she was still in the hospital, so they’ll have to wait.

I’ve continued to visit Mum on both days of course, and she’s much calmer and in much better spirits compared to her first day in the ward, where she was in a real state after her long stay in A&E. She’s still drugged up to the eyeballs on antibiotics and painkillers and bone health medication as well, so she’s still talking in a drowsy manner. But even so, she can still have proper conversations now. She’s glad to be able to go to the toilet properly, and says she really likes the ladies who have been helping her with that, and she’s been complimentary about the other nurses too. And she’s happy with the food too, so is eating things like sausage casserole, pasta bake, and fish and chips for lunch, and porridge or Weetabix for breakfast, and she likes their cartons of apple juice.

I also brought in her teddy bear and her talking watch for her on Thursday, as she’d asked for those, so she was happy to have them. The teddy was still with her when I went in today as well – but Mum was clearly in need of sleep, so unlike the 2 hours I stayed with her on Thursday, I only sat with her for 45 minutes today, as she was only able to have brief snippets of conversation but then just went back into a deep sleep again. And that’s the best thing for her really. When I spoke to my aunt on Friday evening – as I have been doing every night – she said she’d been in after me and found Mum asleep as well, so didn’t stay as there wasn’t any point.

Apart from that, I’ve had more of that lovely big chicken for tea both days, and have continued working on my blog post about Series 5 of Doctor Who. So I’m keeping myself occupied well enough, I’m doing fine. And I’m looking forward to seeing my friend Claire tomorrow, for the first of my 6 days off work. Hopefully Mum will come home during that time, but we’ll see.

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Saturday, August 16

Mum in hospital (Day 5) & meeting a friend.

After having a nice lie-in this morning, I had a roast chicken breast fillet with rolls for lunch, and did some more laundry in the washing machine. Then at 1pm I had a call from the hospital discharge team to say they were looking at discharging Mum today or tomorrow, which was a nice surprise. Ultimately it wasn’t today in the end, but hopefully tomorrow perhaps.

They confirmed that they’re arranging for carers to come round 3 times a day to help Mum wash, dress, etc while she recovers. And the reablement team will also be back in touch to do a functional assessment of her, so they can then work with her to restore her confidence and independence in doing everyday tasks. I’ve been watching videos about reablement services online, and if this works as they state, and as the page on the council’s website explains, then it could be a huge benefit to her. But every time we think things are getting better, they’ve gone the other way, so I’m not going to relax on that front yet!

Anyway, I went in to see Mum, who was awake this time compared to yesterday, and she was happy to hear the news about her possible discharge. She seemed quite relaxed and happy, although it was hard overnight because she was laying there awake. And she was delighted to see me of course. She still asked me how the other Glen was doing though, which she’d also done on one of my previous visits.

She also knew I was going to see my friend Claire, who I did then go and meet, and we had a lovely catch-up chat over a meal, which I very much needed. Claire also very kindly gave me a pack of chocolate-covered honeycomb sweets sold by the RNLI lifeboats charity, amusingly named Seagull Plops!

We went round the M&S Food Hall before we parted company as well, as I had to pick up some bits and pieces in case Mum does come home shortly, and I snapped up a free pack of Swiss Truffles I was able to get as a birthday offer on my Sparks card. So it was great to see her for a few hours, that definitely gave me a boost. And then I just relaxed at home for the evening.

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Sunday, August 17

Waiting for Mum.

Well, Mum isn’t back after all, although for much of the day it wasn’t entirely clear if she would come or not. I made sure I was up by 9am in case anybody rang, but could have had a lie-in as it turned out, as nobody got in touch. I did do some more laundry in the washing machine during the morning though, and had rolls and the last 2 chicken fillets for my lunch.

When it got to 3pm and I still hadn’t heard anything, I decided to walk up to the hospital to try and see Mum. But I couldn’t get into the ward, as the push button for the door didn’t work and nobody answered the intercom. So I gave up and came out again, at which point a lady rang me to say that Mum was medically fit to return home and they would be arranging transport. She wanted to confirm if anyone lived with Mum, and as I do, I would of course be able to let her in. She also confirmed that a care agency would be sending people round, but depending on when their last possible visit time is, if the hospital transport hasn’t been arranged by then, they’ll keep Mum in until the next morning. She also said that she would let the care agency and the reablement team know that Mum was being discharged.

So all I could do was come home again and wait, which was very frustrating. But then around 8:30pm the lady finally called me back to say that the care package still hadn’t come through, so it would be best to keep her in overnight. That helped me to relax, as while it’s not nice from Mum’s perspective to be in for another night – especially as I wasn’t able to visit her during the day – at least I know what’s happening, and I’m glad they’re waiting for the support to be in place to send her home.

My aunt rang in the evening as well, shortly before I was informed about Mum staying in, so I told her what I knew at the time. She had visited Mum in the hospital shortly after me, as Mum told her I had just been, so we had just missed each other. She remarked that Mum seemed the most rested and good-spirited she had seemed in a long time, and it’s certainly true that she has been in a good mood each time I’ve seen her, once she’d got over the first couple of days. She seems to appreciate the way that the staff are caring for her and helping her out, so if the carers and reablement specialists who visit her at home are also nice and helpful, that might give her a boost.

Anyway, because I had been waiting so long, I had already started cooking my dinner – a delicious Charlie Bigham’s Chicken Tikka Masala – so I enjoyed that. And I still have a lasagne by the same brand to have as well. Plus I have the next 4 days off work by sheer coincidence, so Mum and I can just relax once she’s home.

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Conclusion

And that wraps up the first half of this month. It’s certainly not been the nice relaxing summer we were hoping for!

After my last entry above, however, Mum did come home the next day. It’s been a stressful week since then, as Mum hates not being able to do much, but there are carers coming in to help with a few things, and there is additional help coming for her next week in the form of occupational therapy and a mental health assessment. So there is still hope that she’ll get through this.

I’ll bring you up to date again soon anyway. In the meantime, thank you so much if you’ve been reading all of these posts over the past couple of weeks. I am going to continue posting other things on this blog as well, but I just wanted to get everything out there that’s happened so far, so I can then keep you in the loop moving forward. It’s been good to get it off my chest, that’s for sure!